The Shadow verses The Lark
by Milly Lily Lilac
Summary: Marius brings Cosette to the Musain, which causes Cosette to encounter a figure from her past.


**Title: The Shadow verses The Lark**

**Description: Marius brings Cosette to the Musain, which causes Cosette to encounter a figure from her past.**

**A/N**

**This fic contains elements from both the Book and the Musical. In this fic, I've made Eponine a little bit more like her book counterpart, and I also tried to give Cosette a back bone. Enjoy!**

Eponine weaved in and out of dark passageways, occasionally glancing behind her to make sure she was not being followed. She just managed to escape from her Father and Patron Minette, who had been urging her to go and make some money by finding new customers. But she wasn't doing that tonight. Marius had promised her a special surprise at the Cafe Musain.

Beeming with excitement, she ran through the cobblestone streets, not caring if she scratched her bare feet on the rough ground, or got frostbite from the harsh wind on roughly blasting onto her bared skin.

She approached the Cafe, looking at the warmth and light spilling from the windows. She hastily slipped inside, her thin form easily slipping through the ajar door. Scanning the Cafe, she frowned. Marius wasn't there yet, just the ordinary occupants that mainly consisted of _Les Amis del' ABC._

Deciding to wait until he got here, she walked over to where Gavroche was sitting, and sat down in the empty chair next to him. Grantaire was sipping on a bottle of absinthe next to him.

Enjolras was giving yet another speech, his passionate tone filling the whole Cafe as he looked down intently upon each of the young men's faces, his blonde curls occasionally falling his blue eyes.

"… Tell me where is the land where our fathers died for? Come on tell me! Where?" He said loudly, causing Grantaire to chuckle in a fit of drunken laughter at his overly serious tone. Enjolras threw a harsh gaze in his direction, was about to continue, but then the door opened and Marius entered the room.

Eponine stood up, rushed over to him, "Marius! Where were yo-" But he wasn't listening, he only stood aside to allow another well dressed figure to enter the room as well. A pretty girl with a flawless complexion and luscious dark hair.

"Cosette…" Eponine thought to herself, gaping with half shock, half rage at the Lark.

Ignoring Eponine, Marius immediately took Cosette's arm and led her to the middle of the room, making Enjolras shake his head at them, clearly annoyed for interrupting his speech.

"Mon Amis, I would like to introduce my love, Cosette." Marius said, looking at nothing but his beloved, a look that made Eponine sick to her stomach with jealousy.

Courfeyrac shot up from his table and made his way over to them, took Cosette's hand and kissed it, causing Cosette to blush involuntarily at the action.

"It is an honour to finally meet you, Mademoiselle, after all Marius has spoken of you so much that we were all so sure that we knew you so very well before actually meeting you!" He said jokingly, causing slight laughter from all the Les Amis.

Looking slightly embarrassed, Marius looked away, eyes accidentally catching Eponine, who was looking on longingly at the couple. When he finally saw her, he smiled a little, making Eponine's heart melt at the very gesture. He then urged Cosette to turn around and face her, a sweet smile upon her lips.

"Cosette, this is Eponine, one of my greatest friends." Marius said, smiling as he looked between the two of them. Cosette raised an eyebrow at her, a reminiscent look flashing across her pretty features.

"Eponine…" She said, a little thoughtful, "Not a common name-" She said, but Eponine looked at her dirtily, a sneer forming across her chapped lips.

"We can't all have pretty names like Cosette, Mademoiselle." She said coldly, and slipped out the front door without another word and made her way out into the cold night. She didn't need to see this, to be constantly reminded that Marius was never going to be hers. Not when little dainty things like Cosette were around to stand in her way…

Right then she tripped over the uneven ground, falling over with cry. Cursing, she rubbed her knee, which was now scraped and bleeding. She was about the try and get up, but then a hand appeared at her side.

"Please, let me help you, Mademoiselle." An all too familiar voice called, and Eponine groaned, won't this girl just leave her be?

"Go away." She called coldly, rejecting Cosette's offer.

But the lark was ever so persistent, "Please I want to help you, Eponine."

Getting up from the ground by herself, Eponine shoved Cosette away, her pretty mauve dress swishing as she stumbled backwards.

Eponine looked back at her coldly, and then tried to walk away.

"You know, I once knew a girl named Eponine. She behaved just as you do now…" Cosette called out to her, trying to gain composure, "…What is your problem with me?" She shouted, causing Eponine to stop dead in her tracks and whirl around to face her, her eyes flashing in anger.

"You want to really know why, Cosette? Because girls like you get everything handed to them on a silver platter; wealth, beauty, romance…" She trailed, looking a little sad, "and you don't deserve it! What makes you better than me, Cosette? What have you done to deserve such grandeur while I wallow in filth?" She hissed, walking closer to the girl she considered her arch-enemy.

Cosette looked at her, a little caught off guard by her outburst, then spoke again, her lips pursed as she kept her voice contained to keep her proper tone in tact.

"Fate works in interesting ways, Eponine, don't think I've forgotten the way you have treated me when we were children…" She said, watching her with all seriousness.

"But I am willing to look past that Eponine, we have grown up and matured in many ways, and I propose that we should move on from this silly game of resentment and just move on with our lives. I am sorry that your life has come to be so cruel, but you have no right to blame me for your misfortune. Maybe you should look for the nicer things in life rather than focusing on the bad." She turned and looked back at Eponine one last time, "God bless you Eponine."

Cosette then turned and retreated back inside the Cafe, leaving Eponine gaping at what had just happened.

That was the first time ever that Cosette had stood up to her like that. And even she had to admit, she was impressed. Cosette had always been such a spineless pushover, but now she was a mature woman.

Shaking her head, Eponine turned and started walking home, her thoughts in a twist. This did not mean by any means that she could grow to like Cosette. She had already taken away her one true hope at happiness, but maybe deep down in her heart she could respect her. If only a little…


End file.
